Fairbanks

We have been touring around Fairbanks for the past couple of days and I have a few photos I can post. Hopefully, the slow internet will allow me to do so.

One of the more interesting things we did was make a visit to a portion of the Alaska pipeline that transports Prudhoe Bay crude oil to the tankers at Valdez, 800 miles to the south. It is above ground wherever there is permafrost as state law prohibits disturbing the permafrost by digging in it. 

This photo shows mile marker 450 of the 800 mile pipeline.

Yesterday we went on a paddle wheeler cruise for three hours on the Chena River. While on the cruise, a bush plane with pontoons landed and then took off next to the boat. In the winter, the pontoons will be exchanged for skis for snow and frozen lake operations.

This plane was a 1951 Piper Super Cub, a very popular airplane in Alaska we were told. In a land where bush planes provide an important service, 78% of Alaskans are said to hold a private pilot’s license!

While on the cruise we passed the kennels, which has won the famous Iditarod dog-sled race four times. For such a manly sport, all four of those wins were by a woman, whose daughter currently operates the kennels.

We also visited a reconstructed native Alaskan village where we were shown how salmon were caught, cleaned, fileted, and smoked.

Tomorrow we will join our tour group and travel by train to Denali National Park where we will spend two nights at a lodge deep in the park. There will be no phone or internet service but I will post again as soon as possible.